Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-01-09
A FAIR DYNAMITER.
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strange sojoIrner Is first acen 10 London
suburb. She was widow, very pretty and
very young three-snd-twenty at most,
even the old maids admitted-and there
was sn attraction about her which made
itself felt not only by the young men, but
by their sisters and mothers as well. And
so II came 30 pass that before she had been
established many months In Der new quar-.
ters number Of pleasant people had come
to the conclusion that IL would be well TO
call upon the newcomer, albeit that High
gate Is In its mild way very exclusive In
deed, and no one knew more OF Mrs. LIN
coins antecedents than she chose TO tell.
This, in truth, was not very much. for
though Mrs. Lincoln proved 10 be even
nicer at close quarters than every one ex-
pected, and was the gentlest OF her sex, to
fudge from her words and ways, she had
all the Sav0iF. fdire Of a woman OF the
world, and contriyed to take care OF her
self in the meekest manner imaginable.
She was an American. she said-and her
speech betrayed her pleasantly-and bad
come 20 Europe partly on business-the
nature OF which, however, she never even
limited stand partly on pleasure; and she
was not so well OF as she could wish,
for her late husband had lived long
enough to accomplish the task OF
"making his pile" and also TO set
about that OF spending 1t with undue
rapidly. People who are quiet and uncon-
cerned in their seIi-assertion seldom fail TO
be accepted at their own estimate, and
there was soon an end to all speculation as
to Mrs. Lincoln's earlier life. Even prim
Miss Warburton was ready TO welcome her
within the charmed and charming circle OF
which she was almost the centre; and when
Il began 10 be notieed that Tom Warburton
and the widow seemed to have good deal
in common the young mans sister looked
indulgently on the friendship, and took
no notice at all OF certain kindly hints
which came to her ears from several
quarters, thinking that she knew her
own business good deal better
than her counsellors could do. Now, Miss
Warburton's one aim and object in lie was
the welfare OF her younger brother, whose
housekeeper, and, so TO speak, dueRnd, she
had been since his appointment some years
before 10 cIerkshipin the House oil Com
mons. She esssyed TO make his home
comfortable. so rs to guard him from I'M
due affection for club life, and as far as
in Fer Law she tried 10 shield him from
all such sirens as were likely to consider
q young man IN his position a suit
able pdrti. Though the WarburtOns
no doubt for sufficient reasons-that they
were a peg or two above most OF their
suburban acqtIaintances. This, indeed,
they kept TO themselves; but the effect OF
their private reverence for their pedigree
was that Miss WSrburton had decided that
her brother should not be allowed TO marry
until he could afford to do so ain his
own class" as she put 1t; and that Tom
Warburton toiled secretly and steadily
at certain enterprises quite unconneet'
with his official occupation, by which he
hoped to rebuild the somewhat fallen for.
tunes OF his family. He was a good fell
low, though perhaps tri1e heavy IN hand,
and afflicted with kind OF shy self.con-
seriousness which made him exceedingly
awkward and even helpless at times; and
underneath an unattractlve manner he had
plenty OF ability and aptitude fer work.
Tom Warburton might be IN certain way
the butt Of his male associates, and II was
not uninviting to sharp fellows OF mode
rate calibTe TO exercise their wits on SOL
emn man, who would be sure to hit back
too slowly or not at all but he had se-
cret and superior satisfaction in the con.
seriousness that he could do what Is only
granted to the few to do well, and that 1t
would be a revelation TO his tOrmentOrs If
he were to make il known that he was the
author OF certain clever serial stories which
had run successfully in more than one
popular periodical. IL was part OF his poll
lev 10 write under an assumed name-a
better sounding one, moreover, than his
oWn-and the confession OF his authorship
was reserved for the time when he should
have written something really to be proud
OF.
The secret accordingly was carefully
kept, and no one at Highgate knew any
thing about IL, except Mrs. Lincoln, who
found il out for herself one day when she
and Miss Wsrburton had afternoon tea
with one another at the widows cottage.
The newest No. of 1ybHrRid lay on
dainty little table by Mrs. LincOln's elbow,
and she was full OF the new story which
had Just appeared in its pages.
81 should like to know Mr.. Cyril Went
WORTH" she said-such was Toms nom dc
gllerre. 81 think he must be very bril-
liant man."
Now Toms authorship was TO his sister
as the apple OF her eye, and she had very
high opinion, indeed, OF his powers; so
that il was no small privation 10 her to be
debarred from talking over his triamphs,
and no small misery TO have TO sit still some
times and hear his contributions cOldly
criticised by some chance acquaintance.
Moreover, she had never heard any one con-
lecture before that "Cyril Wentworth
was a brilliant man. Painstaking, careful.
and pleasing, all the world knew him to be,
but when Mrs. Lincoln called him brilliant
in her frank, esgel way, the spinsters
usually well-regulated heart gave a leap OF
delight that knocked her judgment over al
together, and in one impuisive moment the
cat was out OF the bag. In the next the poor
lady felt that she was n traitor, but 1t
was too late. The only thing TO do was to
swear Mrs. Lincoln TO secrecy, and this
was duly done. After that Tom was told,
and did not seem TO mind it at all in fact,
he spoke quite freely TO the widow on the
subject, aud the secret became kind OF
bond between the three, which tended to
ripen their already close mountaineering
into something stronger. Miss Warburton
had now not only ready listener to her
long pent.up literary "reminiscences OF her
fayOrite writer, but a clever critic who
could discern hidden gems Of genius where
perhaps but for her they never would have
been found out even by their originator;
and Tom Warburt0n soon overcame his
shynCss so iar Us TO talk over the story on
which he was engaged with the widow,
aud, as luck would have il, the adoption
OF certain suggestions OF hers resulted
In very cordial editorial encOm'um when
tbe story was sent IN and accepted. This
was not a Bit wonderful, for tue widow was
herself not without literary aspirations, and
Toms confessions had been repaid IN kind.
Alas she had not been successful at all rs
vet, but she wa still undaunted and meant
work, and Warburton saw, or thought he
saw, in a maiden manuscript that~yas shyly
submitted 10 him for criticism subte
brilhancy which his own ploddng
performances were wholly without. IL
was crude. besty, and inconsistent. but
clever, original and quite worth work
ing up. In his hands such tale
would soon become far more Salable than
ANYTHING he had ever written; in hers ii
was not worth the paper it was written on.
Then be thought OF sundry literary part
nerships which were said 70 have proved
successful from financial point OF view,
and-who knows how IL happened :-~such
another partnership was suggested, con-
sjdered for few seconds, accepted and put
into working order one Saturday after.
noon when Tom Warburton had walked
over alone to Mrs. Lincoln's house TO re-
turn the manuscript OF her story.
That evening Tom Warburton and bis
sister had quite a furious quarrel. The
gentle spinsters eyes were opened TO what
She might have seen long before, and she
denounced tue partnership in terms which
ouIy tended 10 make her brother abso-
lulely bent on its fulilment. Tom did
- .,.fo.sf.nd why HIS sister was ~